Piston pump



F. R. SMALL PISTON PUMP Feb. 10, 1959 Filed Aug. 23, 1955 Fly INVENIOR Frank R. Sma l! ATTORNEY United States Patent PISTON PUMP Frank Richard Small, Bartlesville, okn.

Application August 23, 1955, Serial No. 529,997 1 Claim. (Cl. 103-148) This invention relates generally to reciprocating piston type pump constructions and is more particularly concerned with a pump construction generally used for pumping fluids containing suspended abrasives, such as mud, sand, etc., wherein the novel pump construction reduces to a minimum the abrasive elfect of the moving fluid on the internal pump parts and affords maximum pump-life and efliciency.

As exemplified by the oil industry, conventional reciprocating piston type pumps generally incorporate a reciprocal piston portion in sealed sliding engagement with the inner periphery of a pump body or cylinder. Generally the piston includes cup portions or a plurality of annular seals disposed about a suitably conformed piston element, such seals or cups being in direct sliding engagement with theinner wall of the pump cylinder and the abrasive containing fluid and are accordingly subject to rapid deterioration requiring constant maintenance and replacement, such deterioration of the seals or cups causing leakage past the piston within the pump cylinder and giving rise to ineflicient and expensive pumping operations.

Accordingly, a primary object of invention is to provide a reciprocating piston pump construction for pumping fluids containing suspended abrasives wherein said novel pump overcomes the heretofore mentioned shortcomings of the conventional reciprocating piston type pumps of the character involved.

A further object of invention is to provide in reciprt eating piston type pumps for fluids containing abrasives wherein said pump includes a reciprocating piston disforth which is easily maintained, efllcient and long lasting and highly utilitarian for the purpose intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view, showing in dotted lines the alternate position of the reciprocating piston during a cycle of operation;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the protective sealing means to be incorporated on the reciprocating piston of the novel pump.

The pump 10 includes a body portion 14 defined by upper and lower sections 16 and 18 of any suitable crosssectional configuration such as a circular, polygonal, etc., said sections 16 and 18 including at juxtaposed edge portions internally threaded portions 20 and 22, respectively. A suitable sealing gasket may be provided therebetween, said threaded portions 20 and 22 being sealingly engaged upon an annularly flanged partition element 24 which defines with the sections 16 and 18 upper and lower chamber portions 26 and 28, respectively.

The section 16 includes at its upper end an internally threaded, reduced diameter portion 30 for receiving the lower threaded end portion of a fluid conduit 32 for conducting the fluid in the pump away from the upper posed away from the normal pump cylinder wall for moving such fluids and a pumping chamber, and including means therein sealing said piston and supporting parts for said piston away from direct contact with the abrasive containing fluid and preventing excessive wear and deterioration of said parts.

Another object of invention is to provide a reciprocating piston typepump which includes a pump chamber having fluid inlet and outlet portions controlled by oppositely acting valve means, and wherein a reciprocating fluid moving piston element has a portion reciprocably supported in said pump chamber and is provided with sealing means thereabout for preventing contact of the fluid being pumped with the eflective piston portion and the supporting means therefor in said pump chamber.

A still further object of the invention is conformance with that set forth above wherein the effective portion of the reciprocating piston in the pump chamber includes thereon a noncorrosive, abrasive resistant, collapsible protective sleeve element secured on a remote end portion thereof in the pump chamber and wherein the sealing element has a portion sealingly secured to a support an end portion of a support element reciprocably supporting the piston in the pump chamber.

And yet another object of invention is to provide a novel reciprocating piston type pump of the character set chamber 26.

The lower section 18 includes a bottom portion 34 having a tubular element 36 sealingly extending therethrough, said element 36 being in communication with the fluid 12 to be pumped, and including at its upper end portion a suitable valve seat 38 upon which is sealingly engaged a ball check element 40 surrounded by a suitable cap element 42 for retaining a compression spring 44 in engagement with ball check 40, said spring 44 being overcome by a partial vacuum or suction created by a reciprocable piston within chamber 28 for moving fluid into chamber 28.

Partition member 24 has extending therethrough in a suitable apertured portion a fluid conduit element 46 which extends in substantial parallel relationship adjacent to the sides of sections 16 and 18, the element 46 including an upper end portion extending into the upper chamber 26 having a valve seat portion 48 engageable with a suitable ball check element 50 which is surrounded by a suitable cap element 52 which contains therein a compression spring element 54 engageable with the ball check 50 and urging the same onto the valve seat 48. The ball check 50 will be raised from its valve seat 48 when the spring pressure of the spring 54 is overcome due to a positive pressure caused by the reciprocating piston to be subsequently described.

The partition member 24, includes a central apertured portion 56 in substantially axial alignment with longitudinal axis of sections 16 and 18, and has sealingly supported therein a tubular support element 58 which has opposite end portions extending into chambers 26 and 28. A cylindrical piston 60 is reciprocably received within the tubular support element 58 and has a length greater than the overall length of either chambers 26 or 28 thus preventing accidental removal thereof when the piston is reciprocated, the piston 60 having the upper end portion thereof suitably secured to a suitable actuating or forced transmission rod member 62 which is suitably coupled to a suitable power source (not shown).

Thus it is apparent that upon reciprocation of the piston 60 within the chamber 28, upward movement thereof results in a partial vacuum therein whereupon said partial vacuum is suificient to overcome the spring pressure of spring 44 resultingin the fluid 12 tending to enter the chamber 28 to take the place of the amount of the eifective piston portion being removed or displaced from-the chamber portion 28. Accordingly, opposite movement or downward movement of the piston 60 within the chamber portion 28 results in the downward pressure on the ball check 40, aiding the spring 44 to urge it into sealing relationship with the valve seat 38, resulting in pressure being exerted upon fluid drawn into the chamber 28 and fluid urged through the conduit element 46 past the ball check 50 and into the upper chamber 26 and accordingly out of the conduit 32. In the absence of protecting means, the fluid 12 which may contain sand, mud, etc. of either an abrasive or corrosive nature would have a detrimental eifect on that portion of the piston 60 which reciprocatcs in the sleeve 58 as well as the interior of sleeve 58, and accordingly this would result in early wear and rapid deterioration thereof resulting in the fluid passing or slipping past the piston 60 whereupon the piston 60 would have relatively low eflective pumping efficiency.

A sealing sleeve made from a pliable, collapsible, non-corrosive, abrasive resistant material is indicated at 64, note in Figure 1 the lower sleeve 64 is extended on that portion of the piston 60 which extends into the chamber 28 and wherein the sleeve 64 on the upper portion of the piston is collapsed in an accordionlike fashion in chamber 26. As seen by the dotted lines of Figure l, the sleeve assumes an extended configuration in chamber 26 and a collapsed or folded configuration in chamber 28 when the piston 60 is reciprocated between said chambers. The sleeve 64 is sealingly secured at its outer end portion 66 by means of a suitable clamp member 68 of any conventional nature for applying an even sealing pressure around the circumference of said sealing sleeve into contact with the respective end of the piston 60. The inner end 70 of said sleeve being likewise secured in sealing clamping relationship to an adjacent end portion of the tubular support member 58 by means of-a conventional clamp 72, the seal relationship of the sleeve 64 relative to the piston end support sleeve 58 preventing abrasive or corrosive fluid entering either the upper or lower chamber 26 and 28, respectively, from coming into contact with the outer surface portion of the piston or the portion of the sleeve 58 in which the piston reciprocates. Thus it is believed readily apparent that there are no piston cups or annular piston seals which may be worn or damaged due to excessive contact with the abrasive contained in fluid flowing through the pump.

Although the sealing element 64 has been shown in conjunction with the pump including an upper and lower chamber, it is readily apparent that a pump of the character incorporating merely the lower chamber 28 with an inlet and outlet for the fluid could readily incorporate a sealing element of the character set forth.

Thus there has been disclosed a novel pump construction which readily attains the object of invention heretofore set forth.

Various positional directional terms, such as upper,

lower, etc. are utilized herein to have only a relative connotation to aid in describing the device and are not intended to require any particular orientation with respect to any external elements.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed A pump construction for pumping fluids containing suspended abrasives comprising an elongated hollow body member including spaced lower and upper chambers, said lower chamber being sealed from said upper chamber, fluid inlet and outlet means communicating with said lower chamber, said fluid inlet and outlet means including oppositely acting pressure responsive valves respectively controlling fluid flow through said lower chamber, said outlet means communicating with said upper chamber for conducting pressurized fluid thereto, a fluid conduit communicating with said upper chamber for conducting the fluid therefrom, a transverse partition member extending between said chambers, a piston support sleeve extending longitudinally between said chambers in sealed relationship through said partition member, an elongated piston reciprocably supported coaxially in said sleeve and including an effective displacement portion reciprocable in said lower chamber for alternately overcoming the valve means and raising fluid through said inlet means into the lower chamber and urging the same out of said outlet means into the upper chamber, means connected to said piston for reciprocating the same, a first elongated longitudinally collapsible sleeve circumposed about the portion of said piston in said upper chamber and sealingly secured to the upper ends of said piston and support sleeve, and a second longitudinally collapsible sleeve circumposed about the portion of said piston in said lower chamber and sealingly secured to the lower ends of said piston and said sleeve, said sleeves being alternately collapsed into an accordion-like fashion during alternate intake and exhaust strokes of said piston, said piston having a length greater than the overall length of either of said chambers, the length of stroke of said piston being substantially equal to the length of one of said collapsible sleeves, and clamp means sealingly securing the ends of the collapsible sleeves to the adjacent ends of said support sleeve and piston in the respective lower and upper chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,856,599 Sundstrand May 3, 1932 2,027,979 Hopkins Jan. 14, 1936 2,076,732 Kuehne Apr. 13, 1937 2,299,315 Evans Oct. 20, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 796,684 France Jan. 27, 1936 

